OUR LADIES' COLUMN.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XV, Issue 4724, 19 July 1890, Page 4

OUR LADIES' COLUMN.

Dexr Me Editor,—Only the other day I read In a newspaper that women, no matter what their real »ce, could be made to appear young and by the undergoing of a certain process called cuimelliog. I alio read that women flocked to Paris and .New "York, where this enamelling process was said '-o be ■JcilfoUy practised, fur the purpr.ae of submitting thnn»lt« to the arts of tin-so-called artist's who "pirated upon th»m. I daresay you, Mr Elisor, h»ve noticed the newspaper p»r;»grapba relation to this matter, and I b»ve no doabt you spared a sigh for the follies and vanities of thosi of the weaker sex who, arrived at the years at which nature demands the wisdom and aedsteaess cf, at least, middle age, would still hold on to youth. Soch persons, I may safety assort, know little of thu peacefal, calm happiness cf middle age, or if the loveliness of serene old age, when they thtw endeavor to ciricature fresh, blooming yonth with rouge and enamel. Fie on them! Do they not know that age has a beauty of its own quite distinct from, and often preferable to, that of yoatb 1 Or do they consider that wo all grow nnlovily whenever the first flash of youth has faded from our checks? In that case, grey hairs have little attraction for them, and wrinkles are, in their eyes, positively hideous. Now, Mr Editor, I am really sorry for those poor women who cm sec no beauty In contented, placid, middle age, and who find no attraction in the qotet commonsense which usually succeeds the impulsive rashness of youth, nor in the beautiful and esteemed old age which has safely weathered the storms of life, and now has cast anchor in the safe waters of calm experience, high thongbts, and prudent wisdom. Ah, my dear sir, who cf us here in Oamarn would relinquish our dear, beautiful, beloved old friends, whom we love just as they are, silver hair, wrinkle* and all, into the desecrating hands of the ensmeller to have them transformed into golden haired, rosy cheeked, snowy browed, scirlet lipped women of fashion ? "Why, the very idea Is almost too much for me—l feel my cheeks reddening with Indignation at the bare suggestion. Yet tho facts remain, that many fashionable women of the day will go any lengths to retain at least the outward appearance of youth, and that other women find it profitable to pander to folly, and attempt to transform nature Into what I cinoot bring myself to entitle art, bat any designate artificiality. Now let me paint for you, in crude colors, a few of these artifices which find favor in the eyes of silly women. First, there is this enamelling. The lady (?) upon whom this operation ia to be performed is seated In a chair, and her f .ce ia covered with a warm, waxy solution which Is spread very evenly, by the professor, all over face, neck, shouldera, and arms. Openings are left for the eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth, and the enamel la skilfully softeoed off around these apertures. While it Is still warm and plastic, a little rouge is worked in on the cheeks, and a blending of carmine and vermilion on the lips. Shadows are thrown In under the eyes by hair pencilling, the corners being lengthened by the same process.

The victim (as I must call her) then remains immovable for some hours, at least until the enamel has cooled and set, when she is at liberty to betake herself and her new beauty elsewhere. S'ie piya • very high fee for being permitted to make a fool of herself in the fashion thus described, but her fee ia by no means confined to mouey. Money she most pay to the operator, but self-respect demands also a high penalty for the treatment it baa undergone, and claims tha surrender of habits of personal cleanliness as its revenge, while her fee to fashion is the resignation cf her privilege to laugh. For an enamelled woman dare not laugh—she dare not even smile ! If ?be does there ensues a grand fiasco! The enamel Instantly breaks into multitudisons cracks like treacherous ice, and underneath are shown patches of shrivelled yellow skin, more shrivelled and more yellow because of the trickeries aud Indignities to which it has been subjected. What a penalty to pay! Wby, the ability to laugh heartily and merrily In this world of sorrow and trouble, aches and pains, is one of God's good gifts, and the possession cf a keen a»nao of absurdity Is sometimes the only thing which saves a poor heart from sinking under accomnlated hardens. A good, ringing, hearty laugh will do more, much more towards recovering lost youth and smoothing away farrows, than the most elaborate processes ever Invented by professors, modistes, artistes, and all the rest. Never mind wrinkled brows and silver hair, my dear readers; keep your hearts young, and fresh, and loving, and innocent, and yon will grow, in G>d'a good time, into those lovely old ladies whose faces tell of Interior peace and hippineas, and whose lives ara real blesslogs to all around them. The porr votaries of fashion soon sink into forgotten graves, hat God has said thai the memories of the jast shall live alter them. He who has fixed the laws of our beijg will not love as less because of the wrinkles which His own finger has traced on our faces. The space at my disposal being fatly occupied this week, I shall hold in reserve my other pictures of fashionable folly for future letters. A good story Is told of Normao M'Laod entering a room in which was a cage containing a magnificent owl. Ho stood surveying the bird for a long time without making a single rennrk. The owl sat Immoved, placid aod erect. His mien was dignified, bis horns Impressive, his ey«a cold and observant, bf3 countenance sagacioas and critical. At length Norman broke silence " Man, ye wad mak a splendid moderawtor!" The Princess of Wales and her daughters are evidently prepared for emergencies. I have been reading something about the Boyal life at Sandringham, and find that they are *aoght to milk and make butter. The Princess has her pet Alderney?, and all the daintiest dairy furniture her heart can desire. The dairy and its walls are tiled with peacock blue Indian tiles, the churn is silver, and the milk pans are of silver lined with porcelain. A tall milk jag, painted by the Marchioness of Lome, fs In constant use.

Success (says Life) docsjoot depend on what a person does, bat iu doing it a: the right time. Eiward Bellamy, for instance, made himself a fortune in the United States by "Looking Backward," while Lot'* wife only made ber salt. There I* a "new departure" in typowriting in connection with the nss of the phonograph, of which many firms are beginning to avail themselves. A banker, for example, has a qaiet talk with his phonograph in his private office, and sends the cylinder round to a phonographic typewriting office. Hera the talk is reproduced, and the type-written work sent back to the business mm. This method is considered by loose who use it to be far preferable to stenographic dictation. Madame Pattl talks of retiring two yean hence, when she will settle at her castle In Wales, where she baa lately ■pent L4OOO opoo a winter garden, in addition to erecting a private theatre at a total coat of L 12.000. Abont fifteen years ago I was in London daring one of Madame Patti s opera seasons, and saw the diva constantly. She was tbeu—thoogh past youth—a lovely little creature, with Intensely dark eyes and hair. She wore magnificent costumes on the stage, and appeared sometimes besprinkled with diamonds. I have seen bouquets which contained diamond jewelry thrown to her by admirers, and nave laughed quietly to myself at the business-like manner in which she has

removed the valuables from among the flowers. It waa said that t<ro policemen used to stand at the wings of the stage, to receive and take charge of her jewelry, which they conveyed in a strong box to the bank. The magnificent sable 3in which she wrapped herself on chilly days were the occi3lon of mmy heart-burnings amoo2»t fashionable London ladie«. They were Russian sables, and worth a small fortune. A correspondent sends to the Ballarat Coorier the following lines, which were written no tho death of his daughter by Hnnry K -ndali, when In Melbourne : Pat tho bioitom c'o?e to btby. Kneel with me. my love, and pray ; We most le»ve the bird we'vo buried—- .- ay go- d-bye t-i h r to-day. In the shadow of oar trouble We mast go to other lands, And thi Q jwera we have fos ercd Will bo left for other hands. Otbor cyei will watch them growing, Other feet will surely tread Where two hearts are nearly bre»king, Wbero so many tears are shed. Bitter is the world we live in, Life and love are mixed with pain ; Wo will never see these daisies— Never watsr them again ! Mi 33 Braddon has written 53 novele—one for each year of her life. Spring fashions promise to bo very fresh and pretty, and it is prophesied by London madiste3 that artificial flowers will once more blossom forth on everything that can snitably be made to carry them. Diinty little bonnets in violet velvet aud Parma violate are In high favor at Home at yrese >t, and share the honors of popularity with those- in primroses and daffodils. A very pretty golden brown velvet bonnet haa ihi brim in folds which form a point in the centre, and a line of daffodilis in coronet fashion above also points over the velvet brim. The back is arranged like an open velvet fan with the pointed part towards the back. It is finished with a bow of velvet, and has strings cf velvet about two Inches wide. A very effective bonnet for an elderly lady is of olive green velvet, with jost one pleating of dull rose velvet in front, and the ereen in foil folds above. A handsome bowof reversible velvet and satin ribbom starts from th*e back and spreads towards the front of the bonnet, with more loops on the right, Bnd only two on the left, these holding a couple of dark olive tips shaded off to a pinkish fawn tint. Bonnet shapes are still flit, but some portion of the trimming is arranged high, although fl iral borders over a velvet brim and a bighish bow at the back, or a pointed coronet raised moderately in the centre and quite low on the bair behind, are styles more generally adopted. To cool a hot dish in a hurry set in a vessel of cold salted water. This will extract the heat more rapidly than fresh water.

Plush good 3. and all articles dyed with aniline colors, faded by exposure to light, can be made as bright as ever by sponging with chloroform. Honey in a little water Is excellent to smnothen the hand;. Qainco marmalade—The strong odour emitted by qnicces is a sign of their being fit for U3e. Peel, qnarter, and core them, bnt save the pips. Put the quinces and their pips into the atewpan, with -Jib of lamp sugar to tbo lb, and just enough water to keep them from burning. As the sugar dissolves and the liquor boil 3, continue stirring the whole mass. When the fruit becomes tender, break and mash it with a spoon. In about an hoar it will be done enough. Ic may then be turned out into preserve j»rs. The next morning it ought to be perfectly stiff, from the strong mucilage of the p : ps being thoroughly ioorporattd with it. Tied dowa in the usu»l way it will keep good for a long time. French rolls—Rub loz of buttsr into a pound of fionr; mix with one well beaten esg, aud a little milk. Add a teaspoonful of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Shape intc rolls, aud bake about half an hour. I am, dear Mr Eiitor, Yours trnly, Veronica.